Jaguar kills 8 animals in zoo

A jaguar at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans slipped out of its enclosure and went on a territorial rampage sometime overnight killing five alpacas, an emu and two foxes, which were trapped in their own habitats, before zoo officials managed to sedate it.

The big cat was first reported missing at 7:20 a.m., before the zoo opened, officials said. By 8:15 it had been spotted, tranquilized and returned to its enclosure by veterinarians.

No humans were injured by the animal, although the circumstances of the escape sparked a worrisome thought at what might have been: The “jaguar jungle” is also home to a children’s play area.

In a news conference Saturday, zoo officials insisted the facility was safe for the general public, even though they wouldn’t say how the apex predator managed to escape and either kill or injure every alpaca on zoo property.

In addition to the slain animals, one other injured animal was being cared for.

The jaguar, a 3-year-old named Valerio, did not appear to be eating the animals it went after, but rather was engaged in a territorial display, said Kyle Burks, the zoo’s vice president and managing director. The animals it pounced on were unable to escape their own enclosures.

The zoo was closed Saturday as officials tried to discover how the feline escaped. Grief counselors were also brought in for traumatized staff. The zoo planned to reopen Sunday morning.

But the incident was certain to raise questions about the dangers of caging apex predators that have evolved to hunt and kill, and will quickly pounce on prey animals — or humans — if safeguards break down.

“These accidents happen, you know, on some kind of a recurring basis around the world,” said Doug Cress, chief executive of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “And it’s because you’re dealing with animals that, at their genetic core, are built differently than we might like them to be. They are designed to be wild animals.”